Sporting a dirt-covered uniform (thanks to a first-inning steal) and dried blood on her right pitching thumb that prevented her from shaking hands, LeBeau displayed the workmanlike attitude that has been one of the reasons for Richards' fast start this year.

"The seniors have expectations of what they want this year to be like, and they've asked the girls to do certain things, like diving for balls," Richards coach Julie Folliard said. "That starts with our seniors. That's the only way to play. That's what we promote. It's 100-percent all out."

Richards had 12 hits off of Elk Grove senior Dani Goranson. The Bulldogs (14-0) scored all of their runs in the final three innings, including seven in final two.

"We're obviously pleased with our hitting; that's one of the top pitchers in the state," Folliard said. "I would say it's our biggest win this year. We've been able to come out, so far, fired up for every game."

Richards had two hits during the first four innings against the Michigan State-bound Goranson (3-2), but scored the first run of the game in the fifth by piecing together a pair of infield hits and a sacrifice.

The Northwestern-bound LeBeau (10-0) led off the sixth with a double. Molly Pohrebny's RBI bloop single and Emily Wetzel's two-run double made it 4-0. The Grenadiers (7-2) sliced the deficit in half with a two-run single by Becca Maher in the bottom of the sixth. The Bulldogs added four runs and four hits in the seventh, capped by Pohrebny's two-run double.

"We came in with a really strong mental game," said Pohrebny, who was 2-for-4 with three RBIs. "We were ready to lay off her rise (ball) and we came in ready to hit."

"Their hits were together and ours were apart," Goranson said. "You have to put them together to get runs."